Loser: Set-top box manufacturers

Motorola and Scientific-Atlanta produce the majority of set-top boxes for cable providers, but this technology has a bleak future. Unless these firms can identify ways to integrate online content into their service offerings, they will risk being disintermediated by companies like Apple with its iTV. Both companies have targeted this space - Motorola with its mantra of seamless mobility and Scientific Atlanta with its IPTV - but neither have significant traction in the online space to compete at this time.